Monday, March 10, 2008

Turtle bread

Ok so guess what!? I found my favorite cookbook, The Alpha-Bakery children's cookbook! This book also happens to be the first cookbook that I ever got as a child! As soon as I saw it nestled under some junk in our cabinets, I was so excited! I went right ahead to make this turtle bread! I made it before so this brought bake a lot of childhood nostalgia.I absolutely LOVE this cookbook, and I'm determined to eventually make every recipe! Every recipe is totally awesome, and super simple, yet interesting recipes! So I made the dough, and shaped it like a turtle!Isn't he so cute!? Me and my little brother Sven made this together. You just jut off 6 pieces of dough, 4 for the hands/feet one large one for the head, and one for the tail. This is really awesome because you can get really creative with it! You wanna make a fish instead? Go for it! Try whatever makes you happy! After your dough is shaped, cover it with some oiled plastic wrap, and let it rise.Then you bake it!An ariel view of my turtle!This bread was really yummy, and the quickest yeast risen bread that I have ever made. This is a perfect example of delicious homemade bread, that anyone can make. Its in a children's cookbook for goodness sake. There is not reason that you can't make this bread!

Turtle BreadAlpha-Bakery

2 2/1- 3 cups of all purpose flour

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (rapid-rise, bread machine yeast)

1 tbs sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup of water

1/3 cup of milk

1 tbs butter

1 egg

2 raisins

Mix the 1 1/2 cups of flour, yeast, salt, and sugar in a bowl.

Heat the milk, water, and butter until butter is melted. Mix into the flour mixture

Mix the 1 1/2 cups of flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a bowl.

Heat water, milk and butter until butter is melted. Stir in egg. Mix until the dough is easy to handle.

Lightly grease cookies sheet. Shape a 2" piece of dough into a ball for the head. Shape four walnut sized pieces for dough into balls for the feet. Shape another pieces of dough for the tail. Shape remaining dough into a ball for the body. Attach balls by pressing into the body. Press raisins into head for eyes. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise for about 20 min.

Heat oven to 400 degrees, Make criss cross cuts in body 1/4 of an inch thick, like a turtles shell. Bake until golden brown, 20-25 min.

Shaped breads are always neat but so hard to cut into. I imagine it to be worse with cakes. If you're ever in San Francisco, look in the window of the bread factory on the Embarcadero they have a full sized alligator bread and some other crazy ones too!